Seattle DE Irvin suspended; 49ers’ Dahl unsympathetic

One-hundred and twenty-two days before the 49ers’ Week 2 meeting at Seattle, we have some game-day roster news:

SEAHAWKS
OUT: DE Bruce Irvin (performance enhancing drugs).

Seattle’s second-year defensive end was suspended today for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on PEDs and will miss a Sunday night date with the 49ers on Sept. 15. The Seahawks could also be without defensive end Chris Clemons, who sustained a torn ACL in their wild-card win against the Redskins on Jan 6.

Irvin, the No. 15 pick in the 2012 draft, had 16 tackles and led all rookies with eight sacks as a situational pass-rusher last year. He teamed with Clemons for a combined 56 tackles and 19.5 sacks, but the duo was largely quiet against the 49ers. Their totals in two games against San Francisco: 5 tackles and 0 sacks.

The loss of Irvin, however, could affect how the Seahawks account for Colin Kaepernick. Irvin, who ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at the 2012 combine, has the speed to effectively spy the 49ers’ fleet-footed quarterback, who, if you were wondering, posted a 4.53-second 40 at the ’11 combine.

Even if they are without Irvin and Clemons — the only Seahawks with more than three sacks last year — Seattle likely won’t be without capable pass-rushers in mid-September. In March, they signed free agent defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, who combined for 18.5 sacks in 2012.

Irvin is the sixth Seahawk to test positive for performance enhancing drugs since 2011 – a trend that hasn’t escaped the notice of 49ers fans on social media. ESPN’s Mike Sando noted the popularity of the hashtag “SeAdderallSeahawks” and @ICB tweeted: “I guess the Seahawks are the true dirty birds.”

Even 49ers safety Craig Dahl, one of the new participants in one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries, weighed in shortly after the news of Irvin’s suspension broke: “I have no sympathy for violators of NFL drug test,” Dahl tweeted. “It’s easy to know what goes in your body. If this was another sport what would happen?”